Intrepid biohacker gives himself infrared night vision, but at what price?

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According to the World War II-era nautical lore, the Navy wanted sailors that could see IR signals. To this end volunteers were fed a diet that was missing the form of vitamin A normally used to make photopigments for our visual system. They were instead given supplements of an alternate form of the vitamin that gave sensitivity into the IR spectrum. While invention of the sniperscope brought these dubious experiments to a premature close, a group of biohackers has been inspired to pick up right where the early transhumanist pioneers left off.

Eyes are remarkably adaptable machines. Animals have morphed them into exotic polarization sensors, magnetic field orienteering aids, and even single photon detectors. An interesting anecdote from the astronautical lore is that flashes of light — generally attributed to cosmic rays — have been perceived by astronauts even with their eyes were closed. While it is possible that these figments are triggered in the brain, it seems more likely that the retina, perhaps even the photopigments themselves, are directly sensing energy deposited by the rays and realizing it as light. With the right photopigment, seamless detection of IR should be a piece of cake.

The only problem is that lack of vitamin A claims the lives of around a million children worldwide each year, and it is responsible for blindness in half that again. An intrepid group of four biohackers hope that the replacement form of vitamin A, known as vitamin A2, will compensate completely. A2 is found in freshwater fish, and can be extracted (with some effort) from their livers. The group has created a project based on a “Microryza” crowdfunding model, and is now funded to the tune of $4,000. (Read: Seeing ultraviolet, exploring color.)

This is what our intrepid senior editor, Sebastian Anthony, looks like with thermal IR.

Much of the capital raised will be used to procure the vitamin itself. Additionally there will be funds for sensitive equipment to measure the electrical responses of the eye as its spectral sensitivity changes. Their results will be published in an open, peer-reviewed research journal. The diet the biohackers will use has been developed by computer engineer Rob Rhinehart, creator of a successful life-optimizing drink known as Soylent. Crowdfunded itself, Soylent also enjoys high-profile backing from venture capitalists like Andreessen Horowitz.

Vitamin A, and its precursors like beta-carotene, are metabolized into different forms that are used in various ways all throughout the body. Its ability to melt wrinkles or pimples when applied to the skin hints at its powers once inside a cell’s nucleus, where it has its main effects. The kicker in prescription drug Accutane is a vitamin A derivative called retinoic acid. This acid is actually the go molecule used in a developing embryo when it begins to push out the upper limb buds. Retinoic acid is a master regulator molecule that “turns on” other genes to get the bits and pieces of the arm just right.

The Milky Way, as seen by NASA’s infrared Spitzer telescope. I doubt it would look like this with biohacked eyes, but it’s nice to dream…

If you aren’t scared yet, consider one more thing: vitamin A deprived rats developed hypogonadism (reduced gonad functionality). This happened even when they were fed the retinoic acid that is needed by the testes because they are actually a bit pickier than that — they need locally-synthesized retinoic acid to actually do the trick. The good news is that inhibiting retinoic acid makes a wonderful birth control in humans, and that has even been promoted as a male contraceptive. One further word of caution is in order. While the body can in fact metabolize the fishy A2 vitamin form, the proteins that transport it through cell membranes are only one-quarter as efficient at binding and taking up the A2 form.

Researchers sometimes seem to be motivated by fame and glory as much as by science. There may be a hint of that here, but transhumanists see themselves more as individual medical explorers than as medical trials guinea pigs with no control over their fate. (Read: What is transhumanism, or, what does it mean to be human?) That being said, one indication that times are tough in the academic research arena is the recent report of the guy who published a study of the absolute worst places to be stung, in descending order — with himself as the subject. While there may be some value in research like that, it reminds one of the guy who ate a bicycle just to get into the Guinness book of World records. Fortunately for him, Guinness published it, but only with a note saying this will be the last time for things like that.

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I don’t understand this…. are they just taking vitamin A2, thinking that this will let them see IR? If so they are going to be as successful as the other vitamin nuts who take that stuff. My mom was one of those… dead at 62 from cancer. I suspect the supplements she took played no small part in her early demise. I read that Steve Jobs got sucked into one of these “natural cures” when he was first diagnosed with liver cancer as well and delayed treatment because of it. These miracle vitamin claims are not backed by science. You want to live healthy? Eat fresh vegetables and fruit, avoid GMOs, avoid soft drinks (especially diet ones). Taking supplements won’t cause you to see IR. It might kill you though.

jhewitt123

NutJobs definitely could have been smarter about his treatment options. These guys here aren’t trying to dilute out Vitamin A1, like using erusic acid for ADL as in Lorenzo’s oil, but rather replace it. Would have to look into how the cone (color) opsins are built, but I would imagine the first goal would be to get rod IR activated when adapted to low light, so that the relative IR signal would be strongest

J.P.M.

I think the experiment is to completely replace regular vitamin A which humans need with the A2 variant. That is a little different than you are talking about which is vitamin supplementation, and in many ways more stupid, since they will be depriving their bodies of a vitamin that is needed for normal human metabolism.

Vidya Wasi

I think the expression… common sense: “The fittest will survive” applies here.
If you are stupid enough to do this then you are not fit enough to survive.
Well that is one way of population control ;)

Why do they not use the money for something more practical like researching a way to transplant human eye with an animal eye that can see infrared?
Perhaps start small: Replace parts of the human eye with parts of animal eye.

Since they are offering their bodies to science shouldn’t we use this gift with the method that have the highest rate for success and practicality.

I know blind people would like to see advances in this area.

More advanced method would be to develop / modify eye cells to see infrared by dna modification or similar.
One small injection and within a month you have infrared vision.
Just one injection into the eye.

Then again what use is infrared vision in this “modern” era?
At least the idea of inserting a chip into the brain got some use cases.

dc

Agreed there are legitimate scientific / genetic alterations one could explore. But simply depriving oneself of Vitamin A1 while taking A2 is not the answer.

Timothy

Sometime I think you have to take risk’s in order to survive. Your survival of the fittest theory could be argued as we all do die in short life span’s of just 100 rotations around the sun or even less. How bold are you willing to go in order to surpass 90 year’s of life and still be able to run and jump like a child. If you don’t try something bold, given no one else has tried it and you the chance to at least test a couple of rat’s and 5 generations of their offspring to see no crazy effects are passed on. Then why not take a chance man, your gonna die anyways. Also I don’t think you need a chip in your brain for it to learn, you should read this book by an author called norman doidge , its called a brain that never change’s. He talk’s about vestibular rehabilitation and how you brain can surpass your sensor’s like your vestibular apparatus when it is broken and learn to do everything it has done without the sensor.

Soulxlight

Bold ≠ Stupid

Michele Merlin

So you’re one of those survival of the fittest/population control people. How elitist of you. I always wondered how the “borg” came to be…probably started with chips in the brain.

Michele Merlin

Did anyone ever bother to think that maybe Steve Jobs didn’t really go the “natural” way, but it was advertised that he did, thus falsely discrediting the “natural” way, and that the pharma way is why he went downhill, which is how everyone goes when they get “treated” by the medical establishment. No modern medicine has EVER provided a real cure for ANY disease, ever.

Jeff Vahrenkamp

A fun note on retinoic acid inhibitors as male birth control. It was first developed and tested in prisons, where it decimated sperm counts very effectively with no clear side effects. However once introduced into studies of non-prisoners, one major side effect was that it led to inhibition of an enzyme in the ethanol metabolism pathway, which meant all the nasty effects of drinking, with only a minimal amount of drinking. So if you don’t want your boys knocking up the neighbors or drinking, there is a solution :).

Private_Eyescream

So does this mean that Native Americans and Oriental Asians have infrared night vision?
Both racial groups have poor alcohol tolerance and both needed night survival skills.

ackthbbft

I’ll just wait for those graphene-coated contact lenses to become available, thanks.

Timothy

There doing it all wrong! Just read the god damm book , auto norman doidge a brain that always changes or some shit. It’s not your eye’s you wanna change, your eye’s are just the sensor, its your brain!

Marrach

When I listen to science/biology shows about the various ‘cool’ abilities that various animals have, it struck me how the scientists always pointed out that there were ‘Trade-offs’. Need the ability to see Ultra-Violet? You need to give up Detail. Need to see in Reduced Light? Give up the ability to see well in Daylight. Need the ability to see in Infra-red? You might be trading in for retina cells with shorter lifespans (ie: go blind earlier)

Jigger with the metabolism that evolved its set of ‘trade-offs’ over thousands of generations and the ‘Life-hacker’ might find himself being shortchanged badly in another area years or months down the line.

In the comics, Aliens and super-heroes all have incredible ‘EXTRA’ powers while us puny humans have to put our pants on one leg at a time. But today, if we need to see in IR or Ultraviolet– I think there’s a smartphone app for that. Way easier!

Menno van der Coelen

Everything I’ve seen from biohackers until now makes me believe they are excellent future Darwin Award winners. Exposing themselves to the unknown at great risk with little gain. Yeah I implanted a chip so can store an entire GIF image. Yeah I implanted a gigantic computer in my forearm which will be annoying 24/7 with a big infection risk. Now this what will be next…

Robert

So…they will extract the A2 from fish liver…in the form of what? A vitamin pill supplement? I thought vitamin supplement pills were a waste of money because they are ineffective?

David Widmann

Infrared Vision can be developed naturally by connecting to the Big Dipper. For more information check out “Mantak Chias Book on Darkroom Technology”. There it is described very well what the body system is able to reactivate when we expose ourselves to darkness.

Same goes for Ultraviolet Sight, which is related to the Northstar. We are far more than just humans, in fact we are as consciousness in a human body. If you allow yourself this point of view and go deeper in specific meditations, you can unlock even more frequencies. But to point out: All of these methods are done in a holistic manner and are not being able to integrate in the own energy system by 3rd Chakra based lifestyles, such as we have seen dying out in recent years, involving greed and superiority over others. If you truly want to re-develop such natural abilities, you have to evolve spirituality. And this evolution is towards Union and not Singularity.

All the best.

abowden

>Chakra
In the bin it goes. pseudoscience just isn’t my thing.

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